Bot ban for touts - next stop p2p?

Yes, a very valid line of reasoning.

However, in both cases the bots per se are not the problem, it is the ability to resell at a profit.  Simply make it illegal to resell tickets at more than say n% above face value (to allow some margin for recouping the costs of the sale) and the problem would largely disappear.

That's not sufficient for P2P bots because scarcity has value for diversification or raw interest rates even if a deal is done at par, so the bot can still deliver an advantage. And of course selling at a premium or discount often makes sense in P2P even though many sites don't offer the capability. Personally for P2P I'd go with technical measures to restrict short term flipping like account turnover and time rules rather than the overly broad no premium or discount approach.

Some scarcity value for touts but harder for them to make a profit that way. You can use the scarce things as an incentive/reward for other things though. "Buy ten tickets for x at price y and we'll throw in a free ticket for z". Is z really free and legal or is it illegal profiting on z?

/mod hat off

IMO (but I would say that) Bots (or some form of automation) have a valid use to avoid manually "standing in line" at some particular place/time for %whatever%, but platforms ought a) restrict the number of parts/tickets/whatever going to one punter per minute / hour / whatever seems good, and b) provide a usable automation facility for all (if you take pre-bookings you have a chance to weed out some of the FFF abuses before 'go live' time). If someone wants to sell their one ticket / loan part / cabbage patch doll for a (small) profit, fine by me .. when they hoover up a significant %age of the available stock (in some case ALL of it), such that nobody else can get a look in, then I get cross. Even Tesco (et al) have limits on just how many packets of 'BOGOF' sweeties you can stick in your trolley at one time.